Hopewatch
Hopewatch amplifies the unwavering commitment of people who tirelessly advocate for racial and social justice.
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
In a systemically racist nation, apathy is a luxury Black people cannot afford
Growing up Black in Alabama, I saw firsthand how systemic inequities shaped daily life. I watched my mother endure hours-long waits in overcrowded clinics, my aunt struggle with unstable housing and law enforcement officers profile and brutalize Black men and women. These were symptoms of a broader system that denied Black and Brown communities access…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
‘Critical Memory’ sites remind us of our responsibility to acknowledge the past
As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War II’s gradual, grinding close, from V-E Day on May 8 through V-J Day on Aug. 14, I recently had the opportunity to travel to Germany. I was one of 50 delegates from the U.S. and Germany gathered for a joint project titled “Building a Critical Memory:…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
When the People Rise: Juneteenth, George Floyd and the Black resistance legacy
Juneteenth marks the day the last people who were enslaved in Texas learned they were free — 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s a celebration of freedom fulfilled. But the truth is, freedom for Black people in America has often been delayed and denied — but always demanded. That legacy didn’t begin in…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Waves of Los Angeles ICE raids erode our democracy, drown our humanity
Right now in Los Angeles, fear beats louder than the helicopter rotors overhead. My neighbors are terrified. Not just stressed or on edge; I’m talking stay-inside-and-don’t-even-answer-the-door type of fear. I’ve seen teachers online telling parents they would bring students home after school because their parents are too scared to leave the house. Grocery store runs?…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
SPLC president: Ongoing fight against hate essential to our democracy
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s annual Year in Hate and Extremism report this year is a warning bell. And, in an op-ed published this week on Daily Kos, SPLC President and CEO Margaret Huang lays out the dangers that we face as the forces of hate, bigotry and extremism ooze their way into the mainstream.…
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- Dismantling White Supremacy
Offended by the truth? Good. White supremacy has always feared education
The war on public education is nothing new. It’s a modern tactic rooted in a long history of denying Black people access to knowledge. During slavery, it was illegal in many Southern states to teach enslaved people to read. After emancipation, white mobs burned Black schools and attacked Black educators. During Jim Crow, unequal funding…
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- Eliminating Poverty and Economic Inequality
5 things $45 million could pay for instead of a massive military parade
On June 14, the U.S. Army plans to roll tanks and march troops through the streets of Washington, D.C., in a massive parade to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The parade, which will reportedly cost taxpayers up to $45 million, also coincides with President Donald Trump’s birthday. Though the parade has not been officially linked to…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Whether a natural disaster strikes or not, Florida’s voters deserve better
When a Category 5 hurricane tears through a Florida community, voters should not have to wait for the governor to issue an executive order just to cast a ballot. Yet that’s exactly what happens in Florida. State law does not allow local election officials to act quickly in response to an emergency, even though they…
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Five reasons you should oppose the backward House budget reconciliation bill
The U.S. House of Representatives last week narrowly passed its budget reconciliation bill that cuts billions from Medicaid and SNAP — to give massive tax breaks to corporations and wealthy people. Here are five reasons why you should oppose this bill: 1. It forces children and families to go hungry. The bill slashes nearly $300…
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- Strengthening Democracy & Voting Rights
Power of the vote will sustain democracy through and beyond AAPI Heritage Month
Each May, during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I reflect on my family’s journey to this country — and the path that brought me to public service. My grandparents were refugees of the Korean War. My mother came to Georgia in the 1980s seeking the American Dream — not riches, but dignity. A…
